Monday, April 12, 2021

His Sinful Touch by Candace Camp

Alexander "Alex" Moreland is wondering whether his life is too staid (especially when compared to his investigator brother's) when a strange-looking gentleman arrives on the doorstep of his brother's offices. Except it's not a gentleman, she's a lady. But she can't tell him anything because she's completely lost her memory. She has a few things in her pockets which help because one has the name "Sabrina" (apparently her name) and Alex is actually psychometric, he can tell the history of inanimate object just by his touch.
Alex can tell that she is a lady and he immediately takes her home to his parents. Their family is known as the "Mad Morelands" and one more person who is not quite normal isn't going to make a difference.  He also feels drawn to this woman, not unlike the "twin feeling" that he has with his brother.
Sabrina is bewildered that this man is so willing to take her in. Even without her memory she's pretty sure this is not what she's used to. But Alex's family is warm and welcoming and their open-arms are a reason that I'm enjoying the series so much. I didn't love the insta-bond between Sabrina and Alex but it was still an okay story.

Three stars
Followed by His Wicked Charm
This book came out January 20th, 2018
Hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own


Sunday, April 11, 2021

Weekend Wife by Erin McCarthy

Grant Caldwell has been coming to the same diner for waffles (which he hates) for weeks just because he has a crush on one of the servers. But that time is coming to an end. He can't continue to torture himself so he leaves a large tip and prepares to exit her life.
Leah has been flirting with Grant since he started coming into the restaurant where she works as a singing server. When she finds a hundred dollar bill under his plate, she thinks he made a mistake and rushes after him. That turns out to be a mistake when she is injured. But that does get Grant up into her house for one delicious afternoon. And that's all it's going to be. Until Grant shows up again asking her to play his fake fiancee so that his father will turn over the reins of the family company. 
A little thin in places, the sex is pretty hot and the story is pretty decent for a free book.  

Three stars
Followed by Five First Dates
This book came out February 3rd, 2020
Ebook from Kindle
Opinions are my own


Saturday, April 10, 2021

Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Ufda. The casual racism in this book does NOT hold up well. The story is, as usual, quite funny but it is not a book that aged like a good wine.
Bertie has gotten hold of a banjo. If you've read previous books in the series, you realize that this is going to be a problem. In fact, it not only gets Bertie kicked out of his apartment, Jeeves leaves him as well. Big Problem. Except Bertie doesn't see it that way. He hires another valet and gets himself out of London since one of his previous fiancee's was seen in the company of two of his former antagonists. Well, it turns out that he might not have reason to worry since the former fiancee is now more interested in his friend Chuffy. But the course to true love never does run smoothly in fiction and it may be that Jeeves's intervention is needed after all.  

Two stars
Follows Very Good, Jeeves!
Followed by Right Ho, Jeeves!
This book came out in 1933
Audiobook borrowed from Audible Premium Plus
Opinions are my own



Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

 The book opens with Bertie once again being engaged. Well, he's reminiscing about being engaged to a woman, Florence, who wants Bertie's help in stopping his uncle's memoirs from being printed. Jeeves appears to help but the manuscript making it to the publisher means that Florence has dropped the engagement. We also see Bertie almost get engaged but luckily Jeeves helps him out again. 
We also see more of Jeeves' family with his niece in one story and a cousin in another. And one story from Jeeves's point of view, how he is able to manipulate Bertie.
Wodehouse is just really good at weaving in stories and picking up threads from one book to another. If you haven't read previous books in the series, you are probably okay but if you have, there is so much more to enjoy in terms of humor because you get layers of the story.

Three stars
Follows The Inimitable Jeeves
Followed by Very Good Jeeves!
This book came out in 1925
Audiobook from Audible Premium plus
Opinions are my own


Friday, April 9, 2021

Three Witnesses by Rex Stout

Three stories all hinging on the clues provided by one significant witness. In "The Next Witness," a man bribes an answering service to listen in on his wife's phone calls. When one of the women at the service ends up dead, the man is put on trial. It is during the trial that Nero Wolfe (who seldom leaves his home), has an inkling towards the truth and actually joins Archie in the field, interviewing the other women of the answering service.
"When a Man Murders..." features a man who makes it back from the war, only to be murdered in a hotel. Was it the man's wife who has now married another man? She also used her rather large inheritance to purchase her new husband's business though they both claim to be ready to give back the money if only they can stay together. Of course, it could also be the man's aunt or her two children  who mutually inherited the other half of the man's estate.
The last story, "Die Like a Dog" relies on some rather interesting coincidences for Archie to end up with a black lab whose owner has just been murdered.
A fun read and nice to have short stories that are easy to get through.

Four stars
Follows Before Midnight
Followed by Might as Well Be Dead
This book came out March 10th, 1956
Hard copy I kept 
Opinions are my own


Thursday, April 8, 2021

Bring the Heat by G.A. Aiken

Aidan the Devine and Branwen the Awful have fought together before. This time is definitely to help save a nation. But this time they are not on the front lines. Instead, Branwen, Aiden, and a group of others will have to work behind the scenes to make sure that the eyeless zealots don't kill off everyone. 
This book ends the arc that has been flowing through most of the series so there is a lot of wrapping up to do but we still do get to see Branwen and Aidan go from war buddies, to sex buddies, to something more. The world building of this series was so fun, I hope that the series is not entirely over but am satisfied with the ending if it is.

Dragon Kin #9
Three stars
This book came out August 27th, 2017
Characters next found in The Princess Knight
Ebook borrowed from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible plus audiobook January 2024


Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Will Sterling isn't sure why his uncle left Will his apartment. The only memory he has of his Uncle Donny is of a day when Will was fifteen and his mother had gone to Donny for help. He had refused. So... not exactly good memories. But he can't sell the apartment for one year. His mentor, Dr. Gerald Abraham, suggests  that Will talk to Gerald's ex-wife who seems to be making a lot of money by doing Airbnb-type rentals. Will figures he might as well.
Eleanora "Nora" Clarke loves the apartment building in which she lives. Almost everyone has lived there for decades and they are pretty much an extended family at this point. She does not like the idea of having strangers in the building. So she does her best to thwart Will's plans. It's too bad that he's so good looking. And such a good guy. And so willing to help her break out of the stasis she's been in both in her home and her life.
This book was really enjoyable. We get to see Nora and Will at a point in their lives where both are growing up a little bit. We also get to see how they fall in love and why they work as a couple. It might take a little bit but each is willing to fight for the other and to compromise when they need to.

Four stars
This book came out February 23rd, 2021
Ebook borrowed from Libby
Opinions are my own